In the UK, when you get a job offer, the first step is often not to sign a contract, but to ask HR: "Please give me your share code." This is the Right to Work (legal right to work) check. For Chinese visa holders, this hurdle is quietly becoming stricter in 2026 - and it has more to do with your future record of saving permanent residence (ILR) than you think.
What exactly does the British visa Right to Work check check?
The Right to Work inspection is a legal action taken by the employer to confirm that you have the legal status to engage in this job before you join the job (and in some cases, regular reviews). What it actually protects is the employer - if you do it right, the employer will get the so-called statutory excuse (statutory exemption); if you do it wrong or fail to do it, once the employee is found to have no right to work, the employer will have to bear civil penalties.
The key change is in the method of identification. The BRP card (biometric information residence card) has been completely retired: as a legal work certificate, BRP will expire on December 31, 2024; will expire from June 1, 2025, and the expired BRP can no longer be used for manual inspection of under any circumstances. Nowadays, the vast majority of visa holders rely on eVisa to generate a share code online for employer verification.
📌 Share code Look at the initials: W = Work, R = Rent, S = Status. The employer must use a code starting with W and . It is valid within 90 days after generation and is free of charge. If you give the wrong type, the employer system will not be able to find it directly.
New regulations in 2026: Right to Work inspection expanded to gig workers and self-employed
This is the biggest policy trend this year. "Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025" received Royal Assent on December 2, 2025. Among them, Section 48 has greatly expanded the scope of "illegal work" supervision - in the past, Right to Work inspections mainly targeted regular employees, but the new regulations extend it to:
🛵 Gig economy for food delivery/online booking platforms, 📦 Temporary workers in warehousing and distribution, 🔧 Self-employed contractors, ⏱️ zero-hours contracts and subcontractors at all levels. The supporting Code of Practice draft clarifies that the new practice is expected to take effect from October 1, 2026, and is applicable to working relationships starting on that date and thereafter.
In other words, the gray areas that used to bypass inspections for delivering food, taking casual jobs, and working part-time on the platform because they were not "regular employees" are now being closed. Industries such as construction, catering, distribution, and the beauty industry, where Chinese people gather, are the first to be affected.
How severe the fine is: £60,000 per person
The penalties were significantly increased as early as February 2024 and continue to this day: for hiring people without legal rights to work, the penalty for hiring people without legal rights to work is up to £45,000 per person for the first violation of , and up to £60,000 for each person for repeated violations. Serious cases may also include suspension of business, disqualification of directors, and even imprisonment of up to 5 years. For Chinese employers who open stores or companies, this is not a small sum - the cost of checking an employee is almost zero, but the cost of taking a gamble is six figures.
As a visa holder, you must also understand that working beyond the working hours or types of work allowed by your visa (for example, if you have a student visa and work for a limited time per week but exceed the time limit), it may damage your visa or even apply for in the future for ILR. The permanent residence review looks at clean and compliant residence and work records. One violation may make years of waiting in vain.
Right to Rent inspections are tightened: you also need to share code when renting a house
Similar to Right to Work is the Right to Rent (legal right to rent) check. In England, the landlord is obliged to verify the tenant's identity before renting. You need to provide a share code starting with R and . In 2026, with the advancement of the Renters' Rights Act 2026, the overall supervision of the private rental market will become stricter, and the compliance responsibilities and penalties on landlords will also increase. If you are looking for a house, prepare the eVisa account login information and the process of generating R code in advance, which can save a lot of time.
Self-protection checklist for visa holders: 3 steps to keep legal records
① Activate and manage the eVisa account. confirms that the passport/email address bound to the UKVI account is the latest. Any change of passport or e-mail address must be updated in time, otherwise the share code may display abnormally.
② Check the code type and time limit. uses W code for employers and R code for landlords, which are valid for 90 days; regenerate them when they expire. Do not re-send the old codes.
③ Keep the red lines of working hours and types of work. Especially for student visas and family visas, be sure to know the conditions of your visa; before accepting a part-time job, confirm that the platform/employer will conduct compliance checks, which is a layer of protection for your identity. If you want to accurately calculate how many days you have until ILR and which records may be "out of line", you can use the 永居计算器 APP to sort out the timeline.
⚠️ This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific identity and employment compliance issues, and the latest announcement from GOV.UK shall prevail.
[Data Source] GOV.UK Employer Right to Work Inspection Guide, Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, GOV.UK eVisa share code description
💬 Chat in the comment area: Have you ever been asked to share code when you were employed or renting a house? What pitfalls have you encountered when generating? Share your experience and help friends who have not yet done so to avoid lightning.
If you find it useful, please forward it to a friend who is also applying for permanent residence in the UK and is still working and renting a house in the UK - a compliance check may save his ILR record for many years.